THE NEW PHOTOGRAPHY APPLICATIONS ARE STORYBOARD, SELFISSIMO! AND SCRUBBIES. Google has introduced three photography apps which are part of a new series that it has dubbed as photography "appsperiments". "We're launching the first installment of a series of photography appsperiments: Usable and useful mobile photography experiences built on experimental technology. Our 'appsperimental' approach was inspired in part by 'Motion Stills'," the company wrote in a research blog late on Monday. These apps use several technologies, which are now in development at Google, including those focused on object recognition, person segmentation, stylization algorithms, efficient image encoding and decoding technologies. "'Motion Stills' is an app developed by researchers that converts short videos into cinemagraphs and time lapses using experimental stabilisation and rendering technologies," Google added. The new photography applications are "Storyboard" (available on Android only), "Selfissimo!" (available on iOS and Android) and "Scrubbies" (available on iOS only). The "Storyboard" app takes video clips and automatically pulls out six frames that it lays out in a comic book-style template. To get new layouts and frames, a user has to refresh the app. Google claims that there are over 1.6 trillion combinations. "Selfissimo!" is an automated selfie photographer that snaps a black and white photograph each time the user poses. Once a user taps the screen to start a shoot, Selfissimo! will snap a picture every time you pose. The idea is to move around into different poses, with the app taking a picture every time you stop moving. "Scrubbies" lets the user easily manipulate the speed and direction of video playback to produce video loops that highlight actions, capture funny faces and replay moments. It lets you remix videos by quickly scrubbing back and forth through a clip to create video loops.
The tech giant has also urged users to try out the new apps and provide feedback via the in-app feedback links. The three apps are currently available on iOS and Android. It was first unveiled at IFA, in Berlin in August 2017 and is priced at Rs 22,490 exclusively available for Prime members on Amazon.in. Harman International, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, has announced the availability of Harman Kardon Allure in India. Equipped with Amazon Alexa voice service, the Allure comes with 360-degree Harman Kardon sound. It was first unveiled at IFA, in Berlin in August 2017 and is priced at Rs 22,490 exclusively available for Prime members on Amazon.in
Harman Kardon Allure is hands free and controlled by voice commands. Just ask Alexa to play music, read the news, make purchases from Amazon.in, and more. Even in noisy environments, proprietary far-field voice technology allows the speaker to hear commands from a far distance. Harman Kardon Allure’s 360-degree ambient lighting design glows from within. The ambient light will react to the voice commands and move along with the rhythm of the music. Key features
The Buddy speaker runs on built-in rechargeable battery for up to 3 hours of music and offers Bluetooth wireless connection. Zebronics has launched it's newest portable wireless Speaker ‘Buddy Speakers,’ priced at Rs 1699. The product will be available with leading retail stores across India.
The newest speaker from Zebronics sports LED Display along with RGB LED light, that accesses all parameters of the colour spectrum to optimise and personalise your listening experience. The 5W RMS output in very compact size brings users alive an audio experience that comes alive with depth and immersion. The Buddy speaker runs on built-in rechargeable battery for up to 3 hours of music and offers Bluetooth wireless connection for ultimate accessibility. The speaker also comes with built-in FM to just enjoy live streaming music. The connectivity options include USB/MicroSD/AUX with the 10-meter range for wireless connectivity. Commenting on the launch of Buddy speakers, Pradeep Doshi, Director, Zebronics, said “Yet again, comes another small wonder from Zebronics, which promises nothing but BIG Sound. Scoring full on good looks with good Music, the speaker is designed to make heads turn, crafted for pure musical performance.” Dispatcher Phoenix has been designed to make business workflow processes smarter. Konica Minolta Business Solutions India has launched their Dispatcher Phoenix — an automated document workflow solution that assists users with customised workflows and common document processing tasks to improve productivity and efficiency.
Dispatcher Phoenix has been designed to make business workflow processes smarter. It automates the capture and streamlines routing and image processing. Users can also access cloud services like DropBox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Sharepoint and Box via the Konica Minolta bizhub MFP control panel. Printed and scanned documents can be stored online or on-premise to facilitate information sharing and streamline workflow. To improve efficiency, the company built-in a Graphical Workflow Builder tool in the Dispatcher Phoenix to create workflows that can handle document processing needs. It also sports a workflow scheduler, which enables users to run workflow checks at specific times, while its unique Liveflo technology provides a real-time view of documents as they are being processed. This helps to identify bottlenecks and ensure that files are reaching the correct destinations. Average mobile download speed is 8.80 Mbps as of November, a 15 per cent increase compared to early 2017. According to data from Ookla’s November Speedtest Global Index, India is ranked 109th in the mobile internet speed and 76th for fixed broadband speed, globally.
At the start of 2017, the average mobile download speed in India was 7.65Mbps. Heading into the end of the year, average mobile download speed is 8.80 Mbps as of November. That’s a 15 per cent increase. While mobile speeds increased modestly, fixed broadband speeds increased dramatically. Average fixed broadband download speed in January was 12.12Mbps. As of November, it’s at 18.82Mbps, a close to 50 per cent jump. Referencing the Speedtest Global Index, Doug Suttles, Co-Founder and General Manager at Ookla said “Both mobile and fixed broadband internet in India are getting faster, that’s good news for all Indian consumers no matter which operator or plan they use to access the internet. India still has a long way to go to catch up with countries that have top speeds around the world, however, we at Ookla are highly optimistic about the capacity for growth that is available in the Indian market and look forward to watching how the market grows in this coming new year.” As of November, Norway ranks first in the world for mobile internet with an average download speed of 62.66Mbps. Singapore takes the top spot for fixed broadband with a 153.85Mbps average download. The internet is the vehicle that most of us use to connect with the world every day. As internet speeds improve in India and consumers take advantage of the opportunities these speeds present, it only stands to reason that increased demand will lead to innovation across mediums that also open up new ways to create and connect with each other. Ookla analyses the performance of the internet in every country based on consumer-initiated tests taken by real people using Speedtest. Over 17 billion tests have been taken with Speedtest to date. From our observations in these markets, there are a handful of factors that consistently tend to drive advances in internet speeds and performance. These factors also apply to growth in India. First and foremost is sufficient infrastructure. The strength and quality of networks is the baseline foundation required for faster speeds. Especially as technology advances, it is imperative that networks are built to adequately support emerging technologies. For instance, a network built to accommodate 3G speeds will struggle to fulfil the modern demands of mobile consumers. Equally important is planning infrastructure that can provide service to the number of people accessing a given network. Another key element in growth is competition. When operators compete to provide the fastest speeds and the best plans for consumers, they incentivise each other to offer progressively better options. A third factor in improving speeds is the consideration of new technologies that may boost network performance. One such emerging technology is carrier aggregation, which is when mobile networks serve multiple LTE operators. Carrier aggregation can increase the capacity of networks, especially during peak times. Looking Forward With 2018 just around the corner, there is a renewed chance to focus on the development of Indian internet. Home to one-sixth of the world’s population, India is a dynamic market with opportunities for both national and regional innovations. Of particular note are the rise of 4G in the country and the continued rollout of new companies and plans that are making 4G accessible to consumers. The most recent speculations suggest that the Galaxy S9 would come with smaller bezels, especially at the bottom. Samsung has been rumoured to unveil its Galaxy S9 in the first quarter next year. One of the biggest alterations coming to the new flagship will be an increased screen-to-body ratio which could reach up to 90 per cent.
Several rumours hinted Samsung could achieve the high ratio with the upcoming device. The Galaxy S9 is also said to be taller than its predecessor. But a report from Dutch website GlaxyClub claims otherwise. The report says Samsung will use the same 18.5:9 display ratio as the Galaxy S8. However, the company would increase the screen-to-body ratio in a different manner, and the one that makes more sense. The most recent speculations suggest that the Galaxy S9 would come with smaller bezels, especially at the bottom where Samsung is trying to make them nearly invisible. The Galaxy S9 lineup will comprise of two models, just like the previous generations. This indicates we will get a 5.8-inch Galaxy S9 and a Plus-sized 6.2-inch Galaxy S9+. The smaller variant could feature a single-lens camera and 4GB of RAM, while the bigger variant will incorporate a dual camera setup along with 6GB RAM. The devices are most likely to be showcased in March at a dedicated event and will hit the shelves in April. THE HEADSET AND WIRELESS MOTION CONTROLLERS SIMULTANEOUSLY ALLOW PEOPLE TO INTERACT WITH OTHERS IN THE PHYSICAL REALM WITHOUT REMOVING THE HEADSET. Global PC maker Acer on Saturday launched a Windows Mixed Reality (MR) headset for the first time in India.
The headset, whose price is yet to be announced, comes with a 13-foot cable, allowing a wide range movement, and connects to a PC via HDMI 2.0, while a USB 3.0 connector downloads data. "By introducing the Mixed Reality headset, we aim to bring best of our innovations to the Indian customers. Its ergonomic design, vibrant display and motion controllers makes it the revolutionary device for those who embrace virtual reality and look for the best in technology," Chandrahas Panigrahi, CMO and Consumer Business Head, said in a statement. The device has 6 Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) positional tracking and resolution display of up to 1440x1440 pixel. The headset and wireless motion controllers simultaneously allow people to interact with others in the physical realm without removing the headset. Two front-hinged, liquid crystal displays provide a wide 95-degree field of view. Its double-padded, sweat-resistant material offers comfort and durability and allows easy adjustments of headbands. Mixed reality headsets have been gathering steam over the past one year with every tech major launching one under its own brand. Dell launched Dell Visor Windows Mixed Reality Headset with Motion Controllers priced at $449. These headsets come with two high-resolution liquid crystal displays at 1440 x 1440 and a 2.89” diagonal display size (x2). It also offers a front hinged display, so you can flip the headset up while working. It comes with built-in audio out and microphone support through a 3.5mm jack and also has a single cable with HDMI 2.0 (display) and USB 3.0 (data) for connectivity. There is also the HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset with Motion Controllers, which have more or less the same specs. Asus also launched a mixed reality headset, which is a visor-like headset that comes complete with two hand-held controllers. As per media reviews, the headset is easy to setup and doesn't require additional sensors, instead using the two cameras to its front to read the room around you in real time. Starting March and music lovers will hopefully be treated to YouTube’s music streaming service, Remix. In an attempt to catch up with music streaming apps Spotify and Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc. will give a third shot at launching YouTube's new music streaming service. This service is all set for launch in March, and has been named Remix. The new service will offer both music and video.
According to a popular tech portal, Warner Music Group has already signed up to be a part of the service and YouTube is in talks with two other label giants — Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. One of the objectives behind the launch of the service is said to be the lack of revenue that comes from YouTube as a video streaming site. The music service will help raise revenue for music labels. YouTube has not had a successful run like Spotify, which has nearly 140 million monthly users or Apple, which has over 30 million subscribers, when it comes to paid music service. Alphabet Inc. has in the past launched Google Play Music, YouTube Music Key, and its failure lead it to launch Youtube Red in 2015, which had just 1.5 million subscribers a year. The new service will be a mash up of both audio and video services. Though the focus will be on 'audio-only', users can access video clips. Since YouTube is yet to sign up two major music labels, one has to wait and watch if the launch of this new service will take place in March. The company has now rolled out some new features on the beta version which will soon make their way to the stable version of the app. Facebook-owned WhatsApp keeps updating its mobile app with new features regularly. The company has now rolled out some new features on the beta version which will soon make their way to the stable version of the app.
The new features are as follows: Picture in Picture (PiP) mode The PiP feature enables users to multitask while taking a video call. The app now has a new icon that will prompt when a user is taking a video call. After selecting the icon, a picture in picture mode will start in a new window. Users can also resize the video window. Private replies in groups This feature will allow a user to reply privately to a group message. Now, a person in a group will get an option to message a particular member which other members can’t see. This feature was spotted in the WhatsApp Web version. New invite via link shortcut The invite via link feature is already available for the iOS app but will now make its way to the Android platform. It enables group admins to send a link to other users so they can join the group directly. Tap to unblock user The new build will provide an option wherein users can unblock anyone by just tapping and holding any contact and send him/her a message. Shake to report This is an interesting feature that allows users to report problems just by shaking the device which opens the Contact Us section of the app. The feature is available in the WhatsApp beta version number 2.17.437. Chinese smartphone maker Oppo has been given green clearance to set up a mobile manufacturing unit in Greater Noida at a cost of Rs 2,200 crore, a senior government official said. The Union Environment Ministry has granted the environment clearance to its Indian subsidiary Oppo Mobiles India Pvt Ltd for the proposed project. "The clearance has been given to the Oppo's project after taking into account the views of an expert green panel. It is subject to compliance of certain conditions," the government official said. The environment clearance certificate has already been issued to the company, the official added. As per the proposal, Oppo wants to set up a smartphone manufacturing unit in 110.04 acres in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The project will comprise of factory, offices, dormitory, canteen and play area. The project cost is estimated to be at Rs 2,200 crore. The company has informed the government that about 13,043 kg per day solid waste will be generated in the proposed project. Bio-degradable waste will be processed, while the non-biodegradable waste will be handed over to local vendors. The state electricity board will supply power to the proposed project, it said. The proposed project will generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labour during construction and operation phase, the company added. To make India a global hub for electronics manufacturers, the government is giving incentives through the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) and Electronic Development Fund (EDF). |
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